Six cocktail recipes to shake up your weekend

It’s been quite a week and to celebrate the highs and… yes acknowledge the lows, these cocktails recipes will check your boxes to unwind and have some fun.

From tequila, gin, wine and vodka these cocktail recipes are versatile and will set the tone for any gathering for the weekend or a Friday night. 

This week was Patrón Paloma week, from 18 to 25 November. The tequila has highlighted one of their most popular cocktails perfect for summer, the Paloma described as a zesty, fruity, citrus-infused recipe. 

Other recipes are also refreshing to cool down during the heat waves.

Six cocktails to shake up this weekend:

The Paloma cocktail:

Ingredients:

• 50ml Patron Silver
• 5ml Syrup/Sugar
• 90ml Sparkling Pink Grapefruit Tonic

Method:

1. Add ice to the glass
2. Add Patron Silver and Agave Syrup
3. Top off with Fever Tree Sparkling Pink Grapefruit Tonic and the Fresh Lime Juice
4. Stir
5. Garnish with a grapefruit slice

This recipe can be found on patrontequilla.com

Plum and Basil Smash

Ingredients

• 1 plum
• 4-6 basil leaves
• Black pepper
• Rich sugar syrup – Bring 2 parts sugar and 1 part water to just under a boil and keep just under boiling point until all sugar is dissolved, let cool and bottle. Refrigerate for up to a month.
• Lemon juice
• 50 ml Hope Limited Release Gin

Method

1. Muddle a quarter to half a plum with 4-6 basil leaves and a crack or two of black pepper in a shaker
2. Add 5-10 ml sugar syrup, 15-25 ml lemon juice, 50 ml Hope Limited Release Gin and ice to the shaker – start with the lower amounts of sugar syrup and lemon juice and taste along the way. Add more to taste.  
3. Shake hard, fine strain into a tumbler with fresh ice, garnish with a plum wheel and basil leaf.

Plum Collins cocktail

Ingredients

• 50 ml Hope Limited Release Gin
• 20-25 ml Plum & Honey syrup
• 15-25 ml Lemon juice
• Soda Water

Preparation

To make the plum & honey syrup – Bring 2 parts sugar, 1 part honey and 3 parts chopped plum to just under a boil, let it cool and infuse for at least one hour, strain and bottle. 

Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

Method

1. Pour the gin, the plum & honey syrup and the lemon juice into a highball glass filled with ice
2. Stir gently and top up with soda
3. Garnish with a plum wedge and sprig of mint.

These recipes are courtesy juicydelicious.co.za

Watermelon white wine spritzer: 

• Ingredients (serves 4):
• 2 cups watermelon, cubed and chilled
• 1 tbsp agave nectar
• 2 cups Two Dogs, A Horse and A Peacock Sauvignon Blanc
• 2 cups soda water
• Watermelon wedges for garnish

Method:

1. Add the water and agave to a blender and pulse until smooth. 
2. Add the mixture to a pitcher and top up with the wine and soda water. 
3. Garnish each serving with a watermelon wedge. 

Provence cooler: 

Ingredients (per serving):

• 10ml vodka
• 15ml lemon juice
• 15ml simple syrup
• 1 blackberry
• 2 basil leaves
• 80ml The Fox & The Flamingo rosé

Method:

1. Add the vodka, lemon juice and simple syrup into a cocktail shaker. 
2. Add the blackberry and muddle. 
3. Add the basil leaves and some ice then shake vigorously until well-chilled. 
4. Add the rosé and strain into a beautiful cocktail glass. 
5. Garnish with basil leaves and skewered blackberries.

Aperol spritz: 

Ingredients (serves 2):

• 100ml Aperol
• 150ml Black Elephant Vintners MCC Brut
• Soda water, to top up

Method

1. Put some ice into each glass and add 50ml of Aperol to each. 
2. Divide the MCC between the glasses and top up with soda water.

These recipes are courtesy of Black Elephant Vintners